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Back Stringers Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. FRONT COVER
  2. TITLE PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CHAPTER ONE
  5. CHAPTER TWO
  6. CHAPTER THREE
  7. CHAPTER FOUR
  8. CHAPTER FIVE
  9. CHAPTER SIX
  10. CHAPTER SEVEN
  11. CHAPTER EIGHT
  12. CHAPTER NINE
  13. CHAPTER TEN
  14. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  15. CHAPTER TWELVE
  16. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  21. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  22. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  43. CHAPTER FORTY
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  53. CHAPTER FIFTY
  54. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  55. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  63. CHAPTER SIXTY
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Taking her place at the head of the heavily draped room, she gazed out over three hundred and one chairs set in concentric semi-circles, and the bright-eyed children who sat patiently in them. They were among the most technically skilled children Odvella had to offer, but, more importantly, those the Instrument Maker had judged to hold the greatest depth of emotional connection to the music. The selection process had been long and tedious, but necessary. It hadn’t been enough to play the piece perfectly – she had to feel each child’s dual beating hearts translated through the notes.

“You will play only the exposition today,” she announced. “The carriage notes from usbed esbed minor. We will repeat until it is perfect.” She raised her hands and the nascent orchestra brought their instruments to ready stance. “Remember, children, I want to hear your voices in every note.”

She brought her arms slowly up while counting down, watched the players inhale their tiny chests full of breath, and at the apex of her sweeping gesture, spread her fore-digits and initiated a second countdown, this one slower than the first. At zero, she pronounced her fists to the room and the music boomed.

A sustained note, held as long as her arms remained aloft. Then, at the expiration of her own internal count, she swept them slowly down, bringing the children with her. They drew their sliffbarque bows across the strings while bending the instruments’ tonal arms. The sound was like a sledge carrying thunder that slid from the heavens to the liquid core of the planet below.

She ended the exposition with an abbreviated flourish of the hands. The children relaxed, lowering the instruments to rest against their thighs.

“Good,” she said, proud of where they’d started. “And again.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Hitting the dredge yet again, going deeper than ever before, was a serious risk and without any assurance of finding answers. Aptat had actually tried talking Naecia out of it, and for her own sake – on that point the stringhunter’s words had seemed genuine. It was still possible to make a run for it. There was always a chance that the Earth man wouldn’t be able to find the Chime. Naecia, of course, declined the invitation to flee, as Aptat surely knew she would.